Draft and heat regulator



April 3, 1934.

H. WESSELS 1,953,874

DRAFT AND HEAT REGULATOR Filed June 2, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l Harv/m2? Me 8 5 6/5 INVENTOR M a/574M647 ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .IL. w. I.r.... ill

H. WESSELS Filed June 2, 1935 DRAFT AND HEAT REGULATOR 5 Z a bul NV 9U I m l l h mm m m mfl bv April 3, 1934.

6 ZIEVENTOR Patented Apr. 3, 1%34 UNITED STATES P rs'r orFicl:

4 Claims.

My present invention relates to a draft regulator for furnaces.

The general object of the invention is the provision of means for controlling the draft door of a furnace so as to: regulate the amount of heat produced by the burning fuel in the furnace.

A further object is the provision of a draft control in which the draft door of a furnace is automatically opened by the control means and which is likewise automatically closed or partly closed by thermostatic means.

The invention will be fully and comprehensively understood from a consideration of the fol lowing detailed description when read in con nection with the accompanying drawings which form part hereof, with the understanding, however, that the improvement is capable of extended application and is not confined to the exact showing of the drawings nor to the precise con.- struction described and, therefore, such changes and modifications may be made therefrom as do not afiect the spirit of the invention nor exceed the. scope thereof as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings: 7

Figure l is an elevation of the improvement in applied position.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof on a larger scale and in another position.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the improvement per se.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

My improvement includes a casing 1 to be bolted or otherwise attached to the side of a furnace 2, the casing, at oneof its ends, being provided with a depending branch 3.

Having one end fixed in the casing, adjacent to the top thereof, there is a normally straight thermostatic bar 4. The bar is held spaced from the top of the casing by a suitable block, a bolt and nut securing the end of the bar and the block.

Passing through an opening, adjacent to the outer end of the thermostatic bar 4 there is a bolt 6 which is engaged by a wing nut 7, and this bolt passes through a yoke 8. The yoke has journaled between the side arms thereof a roller 9 around which there is wound one end of a chain or like flexible element 10. The trunnion for the roller that passes through what I will term the outer arm of the yoke has fixed thereon a toothed wheel 11 that is designed to be engaged by a pivo-tally supported spring influenced dog 12 carried by the said outer arm of the yoke, the dog normally holding the roller 9 from turning.

The yoke and its roller are arranged for movement in the branch 3 of the casing 1, said branch having an open end as has also the casing 1.

Normally disposed in front of the branch 3 of the casing 1 there is a solid wheel or disc 13 which is centrally pivoted to the offset end or" a lateral extension 17 on an arm 18. The wheel 13 is formed with spaced slots 14 in which are adjustably secured studs 15 and 16 disposed at opposite sides of the extension 17. The upper end of the arm 18 is fixed on a lever 19 that extends alongside the casing 1 and is mounted, as at 20, upon a hanger arm 21 which may be secured upon the furnace or some fixed support immediately adjacent the furnace. The lever has adjustably arranged thereon a counter-balancing weight 22 and the outer end of the lever has connected thereto aflexible element, such as a chain 23. The chain is wound and fixed on a drum carried by the winding key 24 for the alarm mechanism of an ordinary alarm clock 25, the said clock being fixed on the outer wall of the furnace by a split strap 26 whose ends are riveted or otherwise secured to the furnace.

The arm 18 has fixed thereon one end of a flat spring 2'7, the free end of the said spring being arranged above and in the path of the stud 16.

Fixed on the draft door 28 for the furnace there is one end of a rod 30 and to this arm there is secured the end of the chain 10 as well as another chain 31. The chain 31 is fixed to the lower end of a link 32 which is pivoted at its upper end upon the wheel 13, and normally to one side of the center or" the said wheel, as clear- 90 ly disclosed by Figure 1 of the drawings.

On the outer face of the wheel 13 there is a pin or lug 33.

Fixed on the thermostatic bar t there is the inner and shorter arm 35 of a member which pro- 95 jects beyond the plane of the wheel 13 and has the lower end of its outer and longer arm 36 arranged over the outer face of the wheel 13. Pivoted, as at 3'7, to the arm 36 there is a bar 38 that has its upper free end formed with a segmental head 39 which is peripherally toothed, the teeth being designed to be engaged by a pivotally supported spring-influenced dog 40 carried by the arm 36. The member 38 is formed with a finger 41 arranged over and normally above, a determined distance. the lug or pin 33 on the wheel 13.

The operation may be briefly described as follows: The alarm clock is wound and set for a predetermined interval of time. The winding of the alarm draws on the chain 23 which raises the arm 18 to bring its extension 17 against the stud 15 on the wheel 13. The chain 31, as stated, is to one side of the pivot 42 that connects the wheel to the offset portion 17 of the arm 18, and the chain 31 is sufficiently slack to permit of the closing of the furnace draft door 28. When the alarm mechanism operates at the predetermined point of time, the winding key and the drum thereon will be turned to cause the chain 23 to be wound on the said drum and thereby swing the lever 19 to cause the same to exert a lifting action upon the arm 18. Because of the contact of the extension 17 with the stud 15, and likewise because the link 32 is beyond the axial center. of the said wheel, and nearest to the stud 15, the said wheel will be caused to move upwardly with the arm, thus drawing upon the chain 31 to cause the draft door 28 to be swung to open position. Draft entering through the opening for the door will increase combustion in the furnace. When the furnace becomes heated to an extent that'will cause the flexing of the thermostatic rod or bar 4 downwardly, the members 35, 36 will be moved with said thermostatic bar, causing the finger 41 to contact with the pin or stud 33, thus causing the rotation of the wheel 13 in the direction to bring the link 32 to the opposite side of its axial center,

allowing the chain to flex and permitting the draft door 28 to swing by gravity to closed position.

By swingably adjusting the member 38 on the arm 36 the finger 41 may be caused to contact with the pin or lug 33 at predetermined desired intervals of time so the door 28 may be either quickly or slowly brought to closed position, or more definitely this adjustment permits of a slight or a determined flexing of the thermostatic bar before the door 28 is permitted to close.

By employing the ratchet 11 for the roller 9 as a handle or by supplying the said wheel with a handle element, the roller may be turned upon the release of the dog 12 so that the chain 10 may be wound thereon to any determined extent, and as the yoke carrying the roller 9 is also influenced by the thermostatic bar 4 the varying of the length of the chain 10 permits of the furnace draft door 28 being either fully or partly closed when the bar 4 is influenced by heat. The spring 27 which contacts with the pin 16 aids in returning the wheel 13 to its initial position, and, furthermore, serves as a resistance and stop element for the wheel 13 when the latter is turned by the finger carrying member or arm 33.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A device for regulating the opening and closing of the draft door for a furnace, in which a flexible element is connected to said draft door, said means including an alarm clock having a drum on the winding key therefor, a flexible element trained around and secured to the drum, a counter-balanced lever to which the flexible element is connected, an arm depending from the lever and having a lateral extension, a wheel pivoted to said extension and having peripherally spaced projections, the extension normally engaging one of the projections, a thermostatic bar having a fixed end, a member fixed on the bar, depending therefrom and having its outer end disposed over the face of the wheel, a finger carried by said member, a projection on the wheel normally disposed away from the finger but in the path of contact therewith, and a flexible element for the draft door having its free end connected to the outer face of the wheel adjacent to the normal top and to one side of the center of said wheel, for the purpose set forth.

2. A device for regulating the opening and closing of the draft door for a furnace, in which a flexible element is connected to said draft door, said means including an alarm clock having a drum on the winding key therefor, a flexible element trained around and secured to the drum, a

counter-balanced lever to which the flexible element is connected, an arm depending from the lever having a lateral extension, a wheel pivoted to said extension and having annularly spaced projections, the lateral extension normally engaging one of the projections, a thermostatic bar having a fixed end, a member fixed on the bar, depending therefrom and having its outer end disposed over the wheel, a finger carried by said member, a projection on the wheel normally disposed away from the finger but in the path of contact therewith, and a flexible element for the draft door having its free end connected to the outer face of the wheel adjacent to the normal top and to one side of the center of said wheel, said lever having an inwardly extending end, and a spring carried by said end and disposed over the lower spaced projection.

3. A control for the draft doors of furnaces, in which the door has a chain attached thereto, said means comprising an alarm clock, a flexible element wound by the turning shaft of the clock, a counter-balanced lever to which the flexible element is connected, said lever having an arm extending rightangularly therefrom, an offset element on the arm, a Wheel pivoted to said element and to which wheel an end of the chain is fixed and said end, when the draft door is closed, disposed above the pivot and to one side of the axial center of the wheel, the offset of the lever being disposed between projections on the wheel and normally in contact with the upper projection, and held in such position by the flexible element, a thermostatic bar having a fixed end, a member having a short and a long arm and which short arm is fixed to the thermostatic bar, a bar pivotally secured to the longer arm of the said member, and having a segmental rack head, a spring-influenced dog carried by the longer arm of the U-shaped member to engage with the rack, a finger on the bar, a pin on the wheel normally spaced from said finger, but designed to contact therewith when the thermostatic bar is flexed by heat, and a spring buffer member between the wheel and the arm which also influences the Wheel to turn in one direction when the said buffer member is in contact therewith, all as and for the purpose set forth.

4, The device according to claim 3, in which a yoke is adjustably supported from the thermostatic bar, a roller journaled between the arms of the yoke, means normally holding the roller from turning by the chain which is wound around the roller and connected to the draft door of the furnace.

HERMAN WESSELS. 

